Vintage Racing?

Bored5000 · #1 07-22-2020, 07:08 PM

I want to give a huge recommendation to Charles Leerhsen's 2012 book "Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem and the Birth of the Indy 500." Even though the book was released in print in 2012, it was just made available as an audiobook earlier this month. For collectors of the T36 set, this book is a treasure trove when it comes to learning about the drivers included in that set.

https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Smoke-M...s=books&sr=1-1

I am only about 1/4 of the way through listening to the audiobook (and have not even reached the start of the first Indy 500), and I have already learned tons of interesting stories about numerous T36 drivers. For example:

* Barney Oldfield, unquestionably the biggest star of auto racing's early days, rationalized that the frightful dangers of 1910s racing sure beat the alternative:

"I would rather be dead than dead broke," Oldfield was fond of saying.

* "Smiling George" Robertson was known to motivate his pit crew to work faster by getting out of his car and hitting them with wrenches during lengthy pit stops. Robertson was also alleged to have thrown wrenches out of his car at drivers attempting to pass him. Robertson admitted to the first charge, but vehemently denied the second accusation. To make his point, Robertson picked up a bucket of bolts and explained:

"This is what I use," said Robertson. "They are cheaper and work just as good. I might need the wrench for something else."

True to his nickname, Robertson is shown sporting a huge smile on his T36 card.

* French driver Victor Hemery was known as "The Surly One" due to his less than pleasant personality.

* David Bruce-Brown was an heir to the Lorillard's tobacco fortune. For card collectors, Lorillard's is known for their 1887 set of boxing cards.

* Italian born Ralph DePalma was almost always stereotyped in newspapers with Italian tropes of the day. For example, newspapers often wrote that DePalma preferred beating Oldfield on the track even above eating five plates of spaghetti.

* Lewis Strang, who was the nephew of fellow T36 driver Walter Christie, was killed is a road accident when his car overturned in a ditch at the breakneck speed of five miles per hour as Strang was trying to avoid an oncoming farmer. Strang would frequently carry coins in his pocket so that he could toss the change in the air and make a quick getaway from adoring fans as the crowd scattered to grab the money off the ground.

* The aforementioned Walter Christie's lasting legacy was as a tank designer for the Russian and British armies during World War II. During his racing career, Christie often drove a controversial twin-engine car that allowed the machine to operate in both front- and rear-wheel drive. The unique vehicle was frequently disqualified before a race even began, however, if the promoter actually cared about enforcing the "stock" rules of entries.

Bored5000 · #2 11-08-2020, 09:06 PM

Wow, did anyone else notice the raw 1972 STP Petty auction that ended tonight on eBay -- $1,225 final hammer price with four bidders over $522?

Only a few years ago, this was a $125-150 card. I sold two of my three Petty STP cards 3-4 years ago for 10 percent of what that auction ended at tonight. Wonder what a Lorenzen with car would go for right now?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-STP-Ri...QAAOSwZzNfnykX

Justus · #3 11-08-2020, 09:17 PM

Eddie, I saw that and was shocked! Maybe it's time to sell my extra (from you, if my memory serves me).

An Allison sold the other night for $100 or best offer. Had a tack hole. I thought the price was right or even a little high for an Allison with a tack hole.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-STP-1-...app-cvip-panel

Bored5000 · #4 11-08-2020, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justus

Eddie, I saw that and was shocked! Maybe it's time to sell my extra (from you, if my memory serves me).

An Allison sold the other night for $100 or best offer. Had a tack hole. I thought the price was right or even a little high for an Allison with a tack hole.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-STP-1-...app-cvip-panel

I only saw that Allison card a few minutes ago when I was looking at the sold listings. I missed it when was it was listed prior to the sale. For $100 or BO, I thought that was kinda cheap for how tough Allison is in the set. I didn't realize how tough Allison is in the set until you clued me in a few years ago, and you are right that his card very rarely surfaces for sale.

If I didn't have an Allison card, I would have been all over that for $100 -- even with the tack hole.

Arazi4442 · #5 11-08-2020, 09:40 PM

I was watching that auction as well. I figured to blow everyone out of the water with my bid of $300 or so.

. A number of the non big 4 sport cards have been exploding along with the basketball and football Covid craze. Solid sale price on tha Lampo Clay that ended tonight as well.

Bored5000 · #6 11-08-2020, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arazi4442

I was watching that auction as well. I figured to blow everyone out of the water with my bid of $300 or so.

. A number of the non big 4 sport cards have been exploding along with the basketball and football Covid craze. Solid sale price on tha Lampo Clay that ended tonight as well.

One of the other non big four cards that has really exploded lately is the Wrestling All-Stars Hulk Hogan card. I am amazed at what even mid grade examples of that card are selling for these days. Net54's DPeck has to be sitting on a mountain of money just off his horde of Hogan cards.

Bored5000 · #7 04-03-2021, 02:24 AM

The current REA auction contains one of racing's great rarities, the T227 Bruce Brown card. In a matter of hours, the card skyrocketed from $200 to $6,000 with the BP.

So very cool to see a card of a very obscure racer already blow away what a Ty Cobb card from the same set in PSA 2 sells for. Really, there is no comparison between Ty Cobb and a Bruce Brown card.

https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com...e?itemid=82104

PSA has only graded four examples of the Brown card,and speculation is that card was pulled shortly after release due to Brown's death. The Bruce Brown card is a major impediment for anyone trying to put together a T227 set, and several T227 collectors on here have stated in the past that they had not seen one for sale or at auction in decades.

I would love to have such a rare racing card, but it is already out of my budget for a single card. In the current price environment, wonder where this will end up?

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